"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame." – Jose Raul Capablanca

Jose Raul Capablanca was unquestionably one of the greatest chess players of all time. World Chess Champion from 1921-27, he dominated his contemporaries with such ease that he earned the nickname ‘The Chess Machine”.

Capablanca’s reputation rests mainly on his flawless endgame technique. He reportedly disdained study of the openings and relied on his superior technique to win games. Therefore, if you want play through some endings from the games of one of best players, this book is as good place as any to start.

However, this book does not purport to be instructional – it is first and foremost a games collection. As such, it has excellent entertainment value. Irving Chernev was a prolific and popular author of chess books for beginners and intermediate players. What his books sometimes lack in quality of analysis, they usually make up for with infectious enthusiasm and a quality of writing which is regrettably rare from chess authors.

Capablanca’s Best Chess Endings contains 60 complete games from the Cuban Champion, with the emphasis firmly on the endings. It is hard to fault this book as entertainment, and along the way it also has some good advice on improving your own endgame skills. However, if you want a methodical endgame textbook try Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht.